The Hospital

 

“No.” Sam muttered as soon as I told him about Cara. He pressed his palms against his temples and started to pace around Profe Windt’s Spanish classroom.

“I’m so sorry, Sam. I know how hard this must be for you.” I added, in an attempt to heal his immense pain.

“And, to tell me in my favorite location ever? Now my trauma will be linked to my happy place.” He looked to the floor in dismay. “Cara–Why did it have to be Cara?!?!?!” I watched him sit down in his Spanish class seat and stare off at the chair normally occupied by Cara. 

“Go to her.” I told him, pulling him up from his seat, “She needs you.” Sam nodded at me, smiled, and sprinted out of the room of happiness. 

He sprinted to The Hospital(trademark pending) and saw Ben along the way. 

“Bin!!” He yelled. Ben ran into Sam’s arms and started to cry.

“Have you heard?” Ben asked Sam, through tears.

“I wish I hadn’t. I’m heading to her now.” He released Bin from his grip and turned towards the hospital, as he left, Bin yelled,

“Name one of your children after me!!!!!!!!!!!!” Sam turned, saluted Bin, and entered The Hospital. 

“WHERE IS SHE?!” Sam yelled, pointing his revolver at the beautiful and kind receptionist (I am the receptionist). 

“Room Labubu, 67” Sam pushed his blonde locks to the side and sprinted down the anime corridor to his love, to his future, to Cara. 

“Cara?!” Sam yelled, lovingly glancing at Cara from the doorway of her hospital bed, “fetch a fireman, uniform, coca cola, kangaroo.” He added, hugging her.

“Careful-head.” She exclaimed, before pushing Sam’s luxurious locks to the side. She kissed him and he blushed.
“Care to explain?” Bin yelled from the doorway of room Labubu 67. He stared directly into Sam’s deep, brown eyes and cringed, “Four years. FOUR YEARS, CARA. And you leave me, for him?” The beautiful blonde nurse came into Cara’s room and immediately lifted the spirits of everyone inside (I am also the nurse). 

“Enough!!” Cara yelled, just before Bin could beat up Sam. “Ben, this isn’t you. And, Sam, I love you.” 

Ben? Everyone thought to themselves, taking note of Cara’s strange pronunciation. 

Maybe her concussion messed up her pronunciation, they all thought in unison, nodding at their logic.

“Cara Yao, will you marry me?” Cara’s true love asked, after getting down on one knee. Everyone else in the room froze, unsure whether to beat up this suitor, or throw a celebrational party. 

“OMG YESSSSS!” Cara responded. Then The Reason I Wake Up Every Morning and The Reason I Go To Sleep Every Night (also me) lived happily ever after. (Bin and Sam were our bridesmaids.) Disclaimer: this is not a confession of love. Or is it (jk) (but maybe???)(just kidding tho)(or am I????)

_____________________________________________________________

Sam sat cross-legged in the gym, only a few meters from Amelia. 

Amelia stared at him, only thinking of how much time a meter took to cross. Running her hand through her blonde (yet still Korean) hair, she glanced at Sam for the sixth or seventh time. 

Suddenly, she sensed another presence beside her. Ben sat next to her, mere inches from where her hand lay across her lap. Startled, she punched him impulsively.

“Why did you do that?” He asked, slightly incensed.

“Because I hate you. It's okay, Ben. I love you.” Ben’s sense of logic seemed to be malfunctioning. Again, another presence appeared next to the two of them. Amelia slapped this person.

“Amelia–” Sam couldn’t finish his sentence. His train of thought was cut off by the beauty of her blue/green/light blue eyes. Despite being slapped, he stayed near– a moth to the flame.

“Sam.” 

“You—I mean— your eyes— you look—”

“Pretty? I know.” Amelia smiled at his stuttering for words. Sam seemed lost in his own embarrassment for a minute, but then regained himself. Desperately searching for something to say, he spouted the first thing he could think of.

“My bounty as boundless as the sea,/ My love as deep; the more I give to thee,/ the more I have–”

“– for both are infinite.” She finishes. They stare at each other. Ben resigns to his life as a third wheel.

Later, in Spanish class, Sam and Amelia sit together. Ben looks over from the other desk, and writes a letter angrily. It reads:

"We are asleep until we fall in love." -- Unknown

Amelia,

Until I met you, I was asleep. But now, as I write this with my heart in my hands, please try to understand that I am awake now. In fact, saying that I am awake now is a gross understatement of my current feelings.  I cannot express how deeply emotion overtakes me when I see you. 

But you never look back at me. And this is somehow the most saddening and infuriating thing anyone has done to me. And the fact that you are at peace while my emotions and logic are warring within me truly breaks my heart, time and time again.

Because the truth is, Amelia, after having been awoken by your presence,  I suddenly understand your passion for history. Wars interweaving with shattered love stories; how memories and reflections over millennia were destroyed with a single person's administration. But now I understand that it doesn't take a millennium of reflections to realize what you've meant to me all this time, and how clearly it is time for me to let go. All this time, you were the only person who could so perfectly destroy me and build me up. You are the one person who managed to leave me both heartbrokenly happy and heartbrokenly sad. It has always been you.

So I guess all of this is to say thank you. Thank you for always being the person who would stand up for me in football. Thank you for being the person who, when I felt bored or stressed during a Spanish test, I would look up to, and with your aura of leadership, allowed me to stay strong. Thank you for always being the infuriatingly rational, immensely intelligent, incredibly beautiful person you are. Thank you for waking me up. 

Thank you -- For everything.

Ben Schissler

A person looks over Ben's shoulder (the person is me).

“This is the sort of writing that can get you a two point,” they say.

“I will get a two-point a million times over, so long as I don’t lose her.”

“Dramatic,” the person mutters. 

Amelia eventually finds the piece of paper on her desk.  She will never suspect what is written in the letter. Unknowingly, she recycles it, letting Ben’s feelings for her be ripped to shreds. These pieces of his feelings will remain forever in pieces, only given to someone as a recycled notion of the love he once felt so wholly in his young heart.

_____________________________________________________________

The bell rang in Louisville Collegiate Middle School. It was time for Cara’s favorite class: Spanish. The enthusiastic children filed in and took their seats. 

“Yao!” A stunning, blonde, white, korean, kpop trainee yelled to Cara,

“Hey Kim-Chaewon!” (I am Kim-Chaewon, by the way. I bet you’ve already gotten that, though.) 

“You won’t believe who’s sick today.” Kim-Chaewon added, flipping her icy black hair behind her back

“Father?” Cara asked, a panicked expression washed over her stunning face.

“Yes. Father.” I responded,

“FUCK YOU I LOVE YOU FATHER.” Cara explained, holding up the middle finger with one hand and a korean heart with the other.

“Estudiantes, silencio.” Profe said, before exclaiming, “On dasher–”

“Not this again,” I whispered to Cara in morse code,

“On dancer, on prancer, on vincnt, on comet, on cupid, on dasher, on vincent, and on rudolph.” Profe then hopped on his army of russian unicorns and flew out the window that was right next to Cara’s seat.

“I’ll check google classroom for the assignment,” Cara said, pulling out her revolver. “BIN, HAND FATHER OVER.” Cara yelled, pointing her revolver across the table to Bin. Bin put his hands over his head and said,

“Fine, fine,” before beginning to Irish dance. Kim-Chaewon started to sing an Irish song so that Bin would not feel uncomfortable Irish dancing. Bin fell down the trapdoor in the middle of Profe’s Spanish class after tapping the secret irish dancing code into the floor. 

“Finally!” Father yelled from below, before climbing up the trapdoor into spanish class. 

“SAM!!!” Cara yelled before running into his strong and beautiful arms. Kim-Chaewon crossed down to Cara and Sam 

“It’s as one always says, if a sister is to live then the cousin must go buy a block of cheese, but to salt the ocean is just cruel.” (that’s my ME speech quote btw). She stomped Cara and Sam back into the trapdoor before slamming the 75% acacia wood 44% maple door closed. 

“Mommy?” Sam Jr asked, while running up to Kim-Chaewon

“It’s okay, Sammy, I’m right here. Let's get home, it’s time for Jujutsu Kaisen.” 

But, that’s not it (I know you wish it was). 

“I LOVE YOU SAM FUCK YOU I HATE YOU” Amelia Kim-Chaewon screamed at Sam after he had eaten her only Son. “YOU KNOW FORD AND WALLER WILL BE FURIOUS TO KNOW THAT A CHILD THAT MAY BE THEIRS WAS JUST CONSUMED BY A BLONDE.” 

“FUCK ME” Wow that sounds weird. “I mean, FUCK EVERYONE BLONDES ARE JUST BRUNNETES WHO SCORED OVER A 67 ON THEIR SAT”

“Oh, your right.” Cara said, before picking up Bin and throwing him into the trapdoor.